Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • What Does the Bible Say About Purgatory? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper addresses the question “Does the Bible confirm purgatory?”
  • What does it mean that Christ “emptied Himself” in Phil. 2:6–7? The Apostle Paul teaches that in Christ’s humiliation, He “emptied Himself” ( 2:6–7). How should we understand this statement? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, John MacArthur articulates what Paul is saying here—and what he isn’t saying.
  • The Key to Killing Lust. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper answers the question “How do we battle lust like Christians? And how does sexuality find its ultimate purpose and right place in our lives?”
  • How Can I Become More Biblically Literate? Knowing the Word of God is an indescribable privilege, but it can sometimes feel like a daunting task. From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Steven Lawson presents several practical ways for Christians to better understand the Bible as a whole.
  • Where is Providence in the Vanity of Ecclesiastes? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast John Piper responds to the question “If providence proves that nothing is random or meaningless, why does Ecclesiastes repeatedly say just about everything in the drama of human life is meaningless? How do you reconcile this?”

  • Christian, Do You Love God’s Law? Sinclair Ferguson writes ““You’ve got to love the law” has a double meaning. You’ve got to love it—it is a command. But at the same time, “you’ve got to love it” because it is so good. Of course it is. It is a gift from your heavenly Father. It is meant to keep you safe and well and give you security and help you to negotiate life.”
  • Life & Teaching of Christ. I enjoyed the class “Life and Teaching of Jesus” with Dr. Dan Doriani at Covenant Seminary. Listen to these lectures from Dr. Doriani on the accomplished work of salvation, the historical setting of Jesus’ ministry and particular analysis of each Gospel.
  • Why Didn’t My Pastor Tell Me About That? Michael Kruger writes “Many churches offer a rather light diet of Christian theology, teaching, and biblical instruction. And therefore, the average church member—even after maybe twenty years—has only received a smattering of Christian teaching, most of which does not seriously probe the challenging aspects of the Christian faith.”
  • A Biblical Theology of Race and Justice: Live at TGC21. Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson talk live at The Gospel Coalition’s 2021 National Conference with Tim Keller and Irwyn Ince about a biblical theology of race and justice.
  • Accepting “No” as God’s Will.C. Sproul writes “The prayer of faith is a prayer of trust. The very essence of faith is trust. We trust that God knows what is best. The spirit of trust includes a willingness to do what the Father wants us to do.”
  • The Westminster Standards. Enjoy this free class from Sinclair Ferguson on the Westminster Standards from a lecture series he delivered at Westminster Seminary.

  • You can’t love Jesus and divorce yourself from his bride. If you truly love Jesus, you’ll love his church and love to worship with the church. Burk Parsons
  • To whom do you live? to yourself or to Christ? What is the great end, aim, object, and ruling motive in your life? C. Ryle
  • The Bible’s teaching is that the road to the best things is not through the good things but usually through the hard things. Tim Keller
  • If we fail to understand what God is saving us from – namely, wrath, judgment, and hell – we will never understand His mercy. Burk Parsons
  • One of the ways we serve God is by serving those around us. C. Sproul
  • I have a great need for Christ: I have a great Christ for my need. Charles Spurgeon
  • Though my faithfulness may be inconsistent, the faithfulness of my Lord never is. Paul Tripp
  • Churches that depart from the Word will soon find that God has departed from them. Robert Godfrey
  • You should not begin to pray for all you want until you realize that in God you have all you need. Tim Keller

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. amazon.com/author/billpence amazon.com/author/tammypence

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